Morning glory seeds tucked in their peat pots,fingers crossed for sprouting, once again I imaginethe garden that might be but never is. Gardenersare dreamers. And for gardeners like me, thisis the time of year when my garden is at its best --full of possibilities, weed and bug free. Forinspiration, I turned to Gardenwalks in NewEngland: Beautiful Gardens from Maine toConnecticut by Marina Harrison andLucy D. Rosenfield. The authors describedestination gardens where, when the earthwarms and the blooms pop, you can soakin sun and color while admiring theaccomplishments of gifted gardenersand designers.

Harrison and Rosenfield guide you to these gardens like friends recommending day trips to friends. They share with readers what delighted them about each of the highlighted gardens. Their tastes are eclectic. The traditions of the formal garden are to be admired, but so is the creativity and unpredictability of the informal garden. Some gardens trace their roots to the Italian Renaissance, “elegant, proportioned, and symmetrical... a harmonious balance between nature and architecture.” Others spring from the tradition of the picturesque English garden and its romantic ideals: “poetic disorder, free-form designs, . . . reconstructed ruins and grottoes -- in short, . . . the garden as a metaphor for romantic poetry and art.”

Colonial gardens -- like the one at the Moffatt-Ladd house in Portsmouth -- recall a time in this country when just about every home kept a garden to serve the family’s needs. Many were fenced or walled to keep out the “frightening wilderness.” Walled gardens promise privacy but can also be “metaphors for religious belief.” In the Middle Ages, the walled gardens “were thought to symbolize freedom and beauty with precisely set boundaries.”

The authors offer overviews of several garden types, including topiaries, conservatories, water gardens, rock gardens, and the Asian garden, as described by Basho in the 1600s:

A lonely pond in age-old stillness sleeps,Apart, unstirred by sound or motion tillSuddenly into it a little frog leaps . . .

The bulk of the book is devoted to a garden-by-garden tour of New England. Fourteen gardens made the New Hampshire list, from a lengthy description of the world famous Aspet once home to sculptor Saint-Gaudens in Cornish to a paragraph on Mr. Jacquith’s humble but memorable garden in Rumney:

Mr. Jacquith has a beautiful garden right on Main Street in this tiny town. Though it’s a private garden, he likes visitors, and you may leave a small donation to help with its upkeep.

The roses at the Fuller Gardens in North Hampton made a big impression with “some 1,500 rose bushes of all types -- grandifloras, floribundas, and hybrid teas,” ranking among the best designed rose gardens the authors have ever seen. Other New Hampshire standouts: the wild orchids at Ossipee Lake and Heath Pond Bog in Center Ossipee; the sixteen-acres of rhododendrons at Rhododendron State Park in Fitzwilliam; the native New England shrubs, trees, and ferns at Fox Forest in Hillsborough; and, of course, Prescott Park in Portsmouth, “one of the most beautiful downtown city parks we have see.” The extensive flower beds are maintained by UNH horticultural students and “the plantings -- while not particularly unusual -- are spectacular in the brilliance.”

For those who seek more challenging walks and wilderflora, the new guide from the Appalachian MountainClub, Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains, maybe just the ticket. My husband, who loves hiking,glommed onto this book as soon as it walked in the door.I have a feeling we’ll be taking some of these hikessoon -- maybe even before the black flies claimthe trails as their own.

Writer Robert Buchsbaum rates 50 trails for difficulty,distance, elevation, views, waterfalls, wildlife,wildflowers, steepness, snowshoeing, cross-countryskiing, and whether they’re appropriate for kids.He begins with advice about planning and safety --bring insect repellant, for example, and a first-aid kit; invest in good boots and break them in before you attempt the Presidentials; dress in layers and be prepared for changeable weather and the chill of the summits. Oh, and stay on the trail. It’s a real good idea to stay on the trail.

As in Gardenwalks, the bulk of the book describes specific locations and the ups and downs of the fifty trails, grouped by notch (Franconia,Crawford/Zealand, Pinkham, Evans) and region (Kilkenny, Kancamagus, Sandwich/Waterville Valley). There’s a section on AMC huts. And, bonus, for those who want to ease into summer fitness, ten natural attractions and nature walks under 90 minutes round trip. These small excursions include Crystal Cascade, just a fifteen-minute walk from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center; the Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch; the Forest Discovery Trail along the Kancamagus, complete with benches and fact plaques; and Diana’s Baths along the Moat Mountain Trail near North Conway. Shop the outlets and sneak in a hike on the same day -- that’s the New Hampshire way.

About the authorRebecca Rule is a humorist, author and storyteller, who is the author of two collections of short fiction, including The Best Revenge, winner of the NH Writers Project award for fiction.